The PoPo of the Golf Course

Every once in a while, my entire foursome will be off their game. Sure, typically one or two of us will pretend we're Lewis & Clark on a wilderness surveying mission, but all four? That's a bit rare. But, it happens.One of the consequences of this anomaly is the course ranger. I penned a post last year about how starters hate me. Well, sometimes the course rangers hate me too. Who are these officers of the links, mounted on their E-Z-GO steeds?I'm well-aware of when my group is playing wretchedly. When the four of us have been poking around the edge of the woods, searching for where we "think" our balls should have ended up, I'll glance back at the tee and see the foursome behind us. They're standing there with their legs crossed; one hand...

Read more »

Why Do Non-golfers Play In Golf Tournaments?

Did you ever show up to one of your local golf tournaments and see this guy? Have you ever lined up for your first drive of the day but you blow it because you can't get the image of this guy's bowtie and knickers out of your head? Yeah, me too. When I see this guy, I can't help but wonder to myself if he is either celebrating golf history, or if he's just an idiot trying to be funny. Does he just want to make people laugh? Did he lose a bet? Did someone tell him he had to dress this way as a prank? Is he a golf historian celebrating days gone by? Or, does he not know a thing about golf and feels this is the way he's supposed to dress? Recently, I was invited by my brother-in-law to play in a golf tournament. Unfortunately, it was on a Friday...

Read more »

You'll Rue The Day You Crossed Me, Twain.

Mark Twain will go down in golf history as the one who claimed "Golf is a good walk, ruined." All summer I've been chompin' at the bit to get out and play a friggin' round of golf. I want to ruin my walk. You see, I was thrown a curve (surgery) and I dealt with that and the recovery process for the past 3 months.What's my gripe? Well, I'm finally cleared to play on this Sunday and wouldn't you know it - f@#$in' hurricane Irene. C'mon man...I waited all summer for this. All I could think about is another of Twain's smart-ass comments. This one coming from his "The Weather" speech: "I reverently believe that the Maker who made us all makes everything in New England but the weather. I don't know who makes that..." Hey Twain, keep your comments...

Read more »

The Things We Do For Golf

I have a buddy whose wife doesn't let him play golf on the weekends (I know what you're thinking...and I had the same reaction). It's not like this guy loafs around Monday through Friday either - he has a full-time job! But, I try not to judge - there's always reasons for your particular situation and perhaps his is well-warranted (probably not, but I'll throw the poor guy a friggin' bone).Anyway, to get his golf fix, this guy has to squeeze in 9-holes before work. He had mentioned that to me previously, but I didn't understand the gravity of the situation until I actually played with him one day. We had to tee off at 6:30AM so he could be at work by 9. On top of that, the course was 20 minutes from my house, which means I had to be up at 5:30AM...

Read more »

Does Golf Apparel And Equipment Fuel The "Rich Man's Sport" Stereotype?

It was at the start of a recent round that Stinky Golfer Greg and I were poking a little fun at the foursome in front us. "Hey, who do you think is winning, the red team or blue team?" I asked Greg this referring to the foursome in front of us in which two were wearing red shirts and two were in blue. Greg responded that his money was on the blue team. This brought up further joking regarding how, several times, one member of our foursome would have to head back inside their house and change their shirt so we don't show up to the course looking like we're on a team. It's actually almost come to the point where we'll have to be on the phone with each other before our round like a couple of school girls - "What color shirt are you wearing today?"...

Read more »

Why Golf Is Aggravating.

If you really sit back and think about it, golf seems more aggravating than it was fifty years ago (not that I was around fifty years ago but...). I mean with the advancement in technology and the overall progression of the game, shouldn't we be better golfers? We should be...but for some reason the majority of us still stink. Interesting isn't it? We still dominate the demographic as average golfers and all the while there are so many golf improvement gadgets, videos and what not that supposedly make us better players. Now, if we all improved our game, that would still make us average. Not to get all Sigmund Freud-ish but, if we all lower our scores that would change the national average from 100 (more or less) to 90 or 80 for example. And...

Read more »

The Best Swing Advice I've Ever Received

One of the things this blog prides itself on is NOT telling you how to improve your game. Sure, we may highlight a product or two that we feel is useful (like those neat pocket guides from Golf Genie). But what you won't find is us telling you how to fix that hitch in your swing or how high to tee-up your ball...that's just not us.That being said, about nine months ago I wrote a post entitled; "I Get My Swing Advice from a Guy who Doesn't Golf." The book (Golf Sense - Practical Tips On How To Play Golf In The Zone) inspired me to proclaim the following:"Golf Sense is packed with simple ways to put you in (and keep you in) a calm and relaxed state of mind on the course (which will translate into a more relaxed swing, and subsequently lower scores)...my...

Read more »

The Other Golf Holes We Want To Play

The 7th at Pebble Beach. It's definitely one of the most recognizable holes in golf. Any major golf publication has emblazoned this image into the minds of its readers. Every golfer, stinky or not, would like to play this hole at least once in their golfing lives...hopefully more.Along with this hole are a few of the others which the golfing media has spotlighted as "legendary." Holes such as the 17th at The Old Course, the 13th at Augusta or the 17th at Sawgrass. All of these holes are famous for one reason or another, and all are holes we want to play someday.But maybe I look at this a little differently. Don't get me wrong, I would love to play all of these holes. But the way I see it, some of these holes simply have something intangible...

Read more »

Golfstinks' Most Hilarious Blog Posts of ALL TIME

Believe it or not, it will be two years this Sunday that the Golf Stinks Blog launched into a profusion of snarky editorials and hilarious observations about the golf industry, the PGA Tour and the mainstream sports media that cover this fine game.So get your party hats on because in celebration of dos a�os de diversi�n loca, we're re-posting our top 5 knee-slapers of all time - those LMFAO gems that golfers of all skill levels can enjoy!So without further adieu...Number 5Me, Swing Advice and a Nervous Breakdown - Back in 2010, an extremely overwhelming issue of Golf Magazine convinces Stinky Golfer Greg that swing tips on the printed page make about as much sense as wearing waders in the desert. He wants to know what ever happened to good...

Read more »

Golf's Troubled Past

Who knew that golf was once a banned sport? Apparently, back in the day the Scottish brass thought it conflicted with archery lessons and didn't allow anyone to play on Sundays due to military training. Well, I guess driving balls at the invading English is not quite as effective as arrows. Although some of the courses I've been on definitely required a helmet and flak jacket...see: Mortar Range. A quick look back at golf's history shows that in 1457, James II of Scotland banned golf for the reason mentioned above. His son James III continued the ban in 1470, as does his son James IV in 1491. It wasn't until 1502 when England and Scotland ended their beef (did they ever really?) that the ban was lifted.Now, what's really interesting is that...

Read more »

Tiger's Back...And The Media Sure Is Letting Us Know About It!

So it looks like Tiger finally put an end to that 20 tournament losing streak. He wrapped up the WGC-Bridgestone, like he has so many times before. The longest winless streak of his career is over. Now maybe he can just get back to his normal routine and just go back to being the same player he always...What? What do you mean he didn't win? I saw him on every sports news show on TV. I saw Tiger on ESPN constantly! He must have won!Adam Scott you say? Well I knew he was playing well, but he couldn't possibly have beaten Tiger. 17 under?! He finished 18 strokes better than Tiger?! Well then, what the hell was I watching?!Nope, my eyes and ears did not deceive me. Tiger was never really in the hunt after Day 1, but that doesn't stop the sports...

Read more »

Golf, Fishing And Brewing Beer

So far this summer has been a wash for me as far as golf goes. Some of you know that I've been recovering from heart surgery and with that comes very little physical activity.It's been a couple months since the actual surgery and the doc's have cleared me for light physical activity. Even though golf isn't that demanding, a healing sternum impedes your swing and rules out a quick 9.What to do, what to do...how about fishing? For smaller fish obviously, nothing that'll pull me in. Believe it or not, the whole time I was fishing I thought about golf and how the two are similar. For example, a good golf swing definitely helps in striking a ball well. As does a good cast. If Skippy over there can't cast well, there's a good chance someone's getting...

Read more »

Golfing In The Tropics...At The Wrong Time of Year

A few months back, my wife told me she was planning a vacation for us along with another couple. This being our first "real" vacation since our honeymoon, I was excited to go! Besides the obvious "Where are we going?" only two other questions remained for me.After learning of our destination, Key West, the first question that came to mind was "Is there a golf course there?" The second question, "Does the guy we're going with play?" Lucky for me, the answers to both questions were "yes."So my only real concern with this vacation was the time of year. It's July. In the Florida Keys. It's going to be hot. It's going to be humid. All signs point to discomfort. But I guess I didn't much consider the effect of the weather on the golf course itself....

Read more »

Variations on the Game of Golf - Ladder Golf

Rather than hitting the links this past saturday, I instead played another type of golf...Ladder Golf.Our co-founder, Stinky Golfer Tom had his annual summer party this past weekend and to go along with a few burgers, dogs and brews, there were your typical summer backyard games to partake in as well: Bocce, horseshoes, and Ladder Golf. Wait, what?Yep, Ladder Golf. Never heard of it? No worries, neither had I. But there I was, tossing golf balls on a rope towards this ladder thingy...and the more I drank, the better I played.The game is relatively new (early 1990's) and is believed to have originated from the camping scene. According to Wikipedia; "The game is played by throwing a bola of two golf balls connected with a rope at a ladder type...

Read more »